Milestones: Mar. 11, 1985

HOSPITALIZED. Kakuei Tanaka, 66, Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974 and continuing political power broker; in improving condition after a stroke; in Tokyo. Despite a 1983 bribery conviction stemming from the Lockheed Corp. case, now being appealed, Tanaka retained nearly complete control over the Liberal Democratic Party, backing incumbent Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone last year for a second term. In recent months, however, his authority has been under attack, and if his health further reduces his influence, Nakasone's position will be at risk.